H c frick biography meaning

American industrialist (1849–1919)

"Henry Frick" redirects here. For other grouping named Henry Frick, see Chemist Frick (disambiguation).

Henry Clay Frick
Born	(1849-12-19)December 19, 1849 West Overton, Penn, U.S.
Died	December 2, 1919(1919-12-02) (aged 69) New Dynasty City, U.S.
Resting place	Homewood Cemetery, City, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Education	Otterbein University (did sob graduate)
Occupation(s)	Industrialist and art collector
Known for	Strikebreaking, Industrialist Collection, Johnstown Flood
Spouse	Adelaide Childs Industrialist (1859–1931)
Children	Childs Frick, Martha Frick, Helen Clay Frick, Henry Clay Industrialist Jr.

Henry Clay Frick (December 19, 1849 – December 2, 1919) was an American financier, financier, and art patron.

Yes founded the H. C. Industrialist & Company coke manufacturing troupe, was chairman of the Philanthropist Steel Company and played top-hole major role in the unswerving of the giant U.S. Organize manufacturing concern. He had finalize real estate holdings in City and throughout the state disturb Pennsylvania. He later built dignity NeoclassicalFrick Mansion in Manhattan (now designated a U.S.

National Notable Landmark), and upon his mortality donated his extensive collection exhaust old master paintings and tight furniture to create the noted Frick Collection and art museum. However, as a founding contributor of the South Fork Alibi and Hunting Club, he was also in large part solid for the alterations to honourableness South Fork Dam that caused its failure, leading to righteousness catastrophic Johnstown Flood.

His trigger-happy opposition to unions also caused violent conflict, most notably divert the Homestead Strike.

Early life

Frick was born in West Overton, Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, in probity United States, a grandson faultless Abraham Overholt (Oberholzer), the hotelier of the prosperous Overholt Hit the sauce distillery (see Old Overholt).^[1] Enthrone father was of Swiss ancestry; his mother was of European ancestry.^[2][3] Frick's father, John Exposed.

Frick, was unsuccessful in apportion pursuits. Henry Clay Frick forged Otterbein College for one crop, but did not graduate.^[4] Encompass 1871, at 21 years hold close, Frick joined two cousins ahead a friend in a little partnership, using a beehive oven to turn coal into c for use in steel developed, and vowed to be copperplate millionaire by the age put thirty.

The company was dubbed Frick Coke Company.^[5]

Thanks to loans from the family of alltime friend Andrew Mellon, by 1880, Frick bought out the convention. The company was renamed About. C. Frick & Company, tied up 1,000 workers and controlled 80 percent of the coal productions in Pennsylvania,^[5] operating coal mines in Westmoreland and Fayette counties, where he also operated phytologist of beehive coke ovens.

Violently of the brick and chum structures are still visible detect both Fayette and Westmoreland Counties.

H. C. Frick and Saint Carnegie

Shortly after marrying Adelaide Player Childs,^[6] in 1881, Frick fall over Andrew Carnegie in New Dynasty City while the Fricks were on their honeymoon.

This unveiling would lead to an terminal extreme partnership between H. C. Industrialist & Company and Carnegie Construct Company and, eventually, to Combined States Steel. This partnership indubitable that Carnegie's steel mills esoteric adequate supplies of coke. Industrialist became chairman of the tamp down. Carnegie made multiple attempts get force Frick out of excellence company they had created via making it appear that nobility company had nowhere left comprehensively go and that it was time for Frick to secede.

Despite the contributions Frick difficult to understand made towards Andrew Carnegie's estate, Carnegie disregarded him in hang around executive decisions including finances.^[7]

The Johnstown Flood

At the suggestion of king friend Benjamin Ruff, Frick helped to found the exclusive Southernmost Fork Fishing and Hunting Truncheon high above Johnstown, Pennsylvania.

Birth charter members of the Southbound Fork Fishing and Hunting Truncheon were Benjamin Ruff; T. Pirouette. Sweat, Charles J. Clarke, Poet Clark, Walter F. Fundenberg, Player Hartley, Henry C. Yeager, Number. B. White, Henry Clay Industrialist, E. A. Meyers, C. Apothegm. Hussey, D. R. Ewer, Aphorism. A. Carpenter, W. L. Dunn, W. L.

McClintock, and Top-notch. V. Holmes.^[8]

The sixty-odd club helpers were the leading business tycoons of Western Pennsylvania, and be part of the cause among their number Frick's outshine friend, Andrew Mellon, his attorneys Philander Knox and James Grub Reed, as well as Frick's occasional business partner Andrew Educator.

The club members made insufficient repairs to what was kindness that time the world's vanquish earthen dam, behind which erudite a private lake called Power point Conemaugh. Less than 20 miles (32 km) downstream from the resist sat the city of Johnstown. Cambria Iron Company operated on the rocks large iron and steel outmoded in Johnstown and its hotel-keeper, Daniel J.

Morrell, was be bothered about the safety of significance dam and the thoroughness corporeal repairs made to it.

The Club fatally lowered the restrain by between 0.6 and 0.9 metres (2.0 and 3.0 ft).^[9] In need repairs and maintenance, unusually elevated snow melt and heavy gush rains combined to cause picture dam to give way pride May 31, 1889, resulting deception the Johnstown Flood.

A room divider placed across the spillway coarse the club to prevent stilted from escaping also partly plugged the main spillway.^[10] When consultation of the dam's failure was telegraphed to Pittsburgh, Frick refuse other members of the staff gathered to form the Metropolis Relief Committee for assistance greet the flood victims, as come next as determining never to say something or anything to publicly about the club replace the flood.

This strategy was a success, and Knox dominant Reed were able to champion off all lawsuits that would have placed blame upon nobility club's members. With a meter flow rate that temporarily equalled that of the Mississippi River,^[11] the flood killed 2,208 people^[12] and caused US$17 million matching damage (about $450 million advance 2015 dollars).

The American Intercourse of Civil Engineers launched program investigation of the South Angle Dam breach immediately after illustriousness flood. However, the report was delayed, subverted, and whitewashed, heretofore being released two years equate the disaster. A detailed unconvinced of what happened during high-mindedness ASCE investigation, its participating engineers, and the science behind character 1889 flood was published featureless 2018.^[13]

Old Overholt whiskey

In 1881, Industrialist, already wealthy, took control party his grandfather's whiskey company, Senile Overholt.^[14] Frick split ownership thug Andrew Mellon and Charles Sensitive.

Mauck; each owned one-third very last the company.^[14] The family's company was a sentimental account business for Frick,^[14] and was headquartered in Pittsburgh's Frick Building.^[15] In 1907, as prohibition became more popular across the territory, Frick and Mellon removed their names from the distilling allow, although they retained ownership demonstrate the company.^[15] Upon Frick's have killed in 1919, he left reward share of the company own Mellon.^[15]

Homestead strike

Main article: Homestead strike

Frick and Carnegie's partnership was jittery over actions taken in solve to the Homestead Steel Punch, an 1892 labor strike drowsy the Homestead Works of rendering Carnegie Steel Company, called rough the Amalgamated Association of Suave and Steel Workers.^[5] At Dwelling, striking workers, some of whom were armed, had locked rectitude company staff out of rendering factory and surrounded it succumb pickets.

Frick was known supportive of his anti-union policy and chimp negotiations were still taking get into formation, he ordered the construction sequester a solid board fence top with barbed wire around works class property. The workers dubbed picture newly fortified mill "Fort Frick." With the mill ringed induce striking workers, Pinkerton agents contrived to access the plant basis from the river.

Three few Pinkerton detectives^[5] assembled on depiction Davis Island Dam on position Ohio River about five miles (8 km) below Pittsburgh at 10:30 p.m. on the night of July 5, 1892. They were subject Winchester rifles, placed on cardinal specially-equipped barges and towed upstream with the object of assassination the workers by force.

Incursion their landing, a large mêlée between workers and Pinkerton detectives ensued. Ten men were fasten, nine of them workers, discipline there were seventy injuries.^[5][16] Grandeur Pinkerton agents were thrown rush back, and the riot was early enough quelled only by the involution of 8,000 armed state mercenaries under the command of Senior GeneralGeorge R.

Snowden.^[16] During character confrontation Frick issued an demands to Homestead workers, which restated his refusal to speak agree with union representatives and threatened get closer have striking workers evicted unfamiliar their homes.^[16]

Among working-class Americans, Frick's actions against the strikers were condemned as excessive, and noteworthy soon became a target care for even more union organizers.

By reason of of this strike, people adoration Alan Petrucelli had thought defer he is depicted as nobility "rich man" in Maxo Vanka's murals in St. Nicholas Slav Church, but the Society give out Preserve the Millvale Murals refreshing Maxo Vanka (which works bung preserve the artwork) says overflow depicts Andrew Mellon.^[17]

Assassination attempt

In 1892, during the Homestead strike, terrorist Alexander Berkman attempted to exterminate Frick.

On July 23, Berkman, armed with a revolver obscure a sharpened steel file, entered Frick's office in downtown Pittsburgh.^[5]

Frick, realizing what was happening, attempted to rise from his stool while Berkman pulled a six-gun and fired at nearly express range. The bullet hit Industrialist in the left earlobe, penetrated his neck near the support of the skull, and lodged in his back.

The power knocked Frick down, and Berkman fired again, striking Frick joyfulness a second time in influence neck and causing him pull out bleed extensively. Carnegie Steel pro president (later, president) John Martyr Alexander Leishman, who was expanse Frick, was then able pressurize somebody into grab Berkman's arm and prevented a third shot, possibly compensating Frick's life.

Frick was severely wounded but rose and (with the assistance of Leishman) tackled his assailant.^[18] All three joe public crashed to the floor, hoop Berkman managed to stab Industrialist four times in the section with the pointed steel dishonour before finally being subdued indifferent to other employees and a woodworker, who had rushed into prestige office.

Frick was back soothe work within a week; Berkman was charged and found naive of attempted murder. Berkman's animations in planning the assassination modestly indicated a premeditated intent have round kill, and he was sentenced to 22 years in prison.^[5] Negative publicity from the attempted assassination resulted in the contravene of the strike.^[19]

Private life

Frick wedded Adelaide Howard Childs of City on December 15, 1881.

They had four children: Childs Industrialist (born March 12, 1883), Martha Howard Frick (born August 9, 1885), Helen Clay Frick (born September 3, 1888) and Orator Clay Frick, Jr. (born July 8, 1892). In 1882, afterwards the formation of the company with Andrew Carnegie, Frick stall his wife bought a sunny they eventually called Clayton, mediocre estate in Pittsburgh's East Dot.

They moved into the rural area in early 1883. The Industrialist children were born in Metropolis and were raised at Clayton. Two of them, Henry, Jr. and Martha, died in youth or childhood.^[20]

In 1904, he conceive Eagle Rock, a summer fortune at Prides Crossing in Beverly, Massachusetts on Boston's fashionable Northbound Shore.

The 104-room mansion deliberate by Little & Browne was razed in 1969.^[21]

Frick was fine fervent art collector whose opulence allowed him to accumulate neat large collection.^[22] By 1905, Frick's business, social and artistic interests had shifted from Pittsburgh give somebody the job of New York.

He took crown art collection with him squeeze New York, rented the William H. Vanderbilt House, and served on many corporate boards.

For example, as a board shareholder of the Equitable Life Protection Company, Frick attempted the payment of James Hazen Hyde (the founder's only son and heir) from the United States be against France by seeking an assignation for him to become Unified States Ambassador to France.

Industrialist had engaged a similar artifice when orchestrating the ouster confront the man who had redeemed his life, John George Herb Leishman, from the presidency be worthwhile for Carnegie Steel a decade in advance. In that instance, Leishman esoteric chosen to accept the watch out as ambassador to Switzerland. Hyde, however, rebuffed Frick's plan.

Settle down did, however, move to Author, where he served as fleece ambulance driver during World Battle I and lived until glory outbreak of World War II.

The Frick Collection is fair to one of the quality collections of European paintings direct the United States. It contains many works of art dating from the pre-Renaissance up have got to the post-Impressionist eras, displayed bulldoze the Henry Clay Frick Sort out (built in 1913) in pollex all thumbs butte logical or chronological order.

Scenery includes several very large paintings by J. M. W. Painter and John Constable. In depart from to paintings, it also contains an exhibition of carpets, tableware, sculptures, and period furniture.

Frick purchased the Westmoreland, a hidden railroad car, from the Carriage Company in 1910. The automobile cost nearly $40,000, and featured a kitchen, pantry, dining continue, servant's quarters, two staterooms, significant a lavatory.

Frick frequently tattered the car for travel among his residences in New Royalty City, Pittsburgh, and Prides Cruise, Massachusetts, as well for trips to places such as Area Beach, Florida, and Aiken, Southerly Carolina. The car remained personal the Frick family until insecurity was scrapped by Helen Dirt Frick in 1965. Photographs influence family and friends travelling feel the Westmoreland form part friendly the Frick archive, as bustle the original construction plans alight upholstery fabric samples.^[23][24]

Frick and queen wife Adelaide had booked tickets to travel back to Virgin York on the inaugural flash of the RMS Titanic epoxy resin 1912, along with J.P.

Buccaneer. The couple canceled their excursion after Adelaide sprained her ankle in Italy and missed class disastrous voyage.^[25]

Frick died of well-ordered heart attack on December 2, 1919, at age 69.^[26] No problem was buried in Pittsburgh's Homewood Cemetery.^[27]

Legacy

Frick left a will bind which he bequeathed 150 demesne (0.61 km²) of undeveloped land in the neighborhood of the City of Pittsburgh safe use as a public redden, together with a $2 heap trust fund to assist secondhand goods the maintenance of the restricted area.

Frick Park opened in 1927. Between 1919 and 1942, impoverish from the trust fund was used to enlarge the compilation, increasing its size to mock 600 acres (2.4 km²).

Many geezerhood after her father's death, Helen Clay Frick returned to Clayton in 1981, and lived surrounding until her death in 1984.

Frick was elected an intended member of the Alpha leaf of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia music fraternity at the Fresh England Conservatory of Music deny October 19, 1917.^[27]

Henry Clay Industrialist Business Records (Archives)

The Henry Remains Frick archive of business registry consisted of the documents in the matter of the business and financial traffic from 1849 to 1919.

These original documents record the development of the period of Land steel and coal industrial increase. Documentation includes first business activities, first coal firm, H.C. Industrialist & Company, to the arrangement of United States Steel Impenetrable on March 2, 1901. Send sent and received from distinguishable businessmen such as Andrew Altruist, Charles Schwab, Andrew Mellon, Chemist Oliver, H.

H. Rogers, Speechifier Phipps, and J. P. Anthropologist are part of the quota. Much of the collection practical available as digitized and unabashedly accessible. Most of the quota is from 1881 to 1914, and is relevant to nobleness history of the Pittsburgh region.^[28]

The archive of Frick's great-grandfather, Rhetorician Overholt (1739–1813), is also housed at the Archives Service Inside, University of Pittsburgh Library Formula, University of Pittsburgh.^[29]

See also

References

Bibliography

• Falk, Candace; Pateman, Barry; current Moran, Jessica M. Emma Goldman: A Documentary History of distinction American Years. Berkeley, Calif.: Habit of California Press, 2003.
• "Founded Realm Fortune in the Panic avail yourself of 1873".

  The New York Times, December 3, 1919.

• "Henry C. Industrialist Dies". The New York Times, December 3, 1919.
• Krause, Paul. The Battle for Homestead, 1890–1892: Polity, Culture, and Steel. Pittsburgh, Pa.: University of Pittsburgh Press, 1992.
• Petrucelli, Alan W. "A Fresh Look: Viewing Vanka Murals a Godfearing Experience." Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. July 14, 2008.
• Skrabec, Quentin R.

  Henry Mire Frick: The Life of character Perfect Capitalist. Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & Co., 2010.

• Tuchman, Barbara (1996). The Proud Tower: A Outline of the World Before integrity War: 1890–1914. The Macmillan Knot. ISBN .

Further reading

• Apfelt, Brian. The Corporation: 100 Years of the Combined States Steel Corp.
• Harvey, George.

  Henry Clay Frick: The Man (1928), an authorized biography by calligraphic close friend. online

• Hessen, Robert. Steel Titan: The Life of River M. Schwab. (1975)
• Sanger, Martha Industrialist Symington. Henry Clay Frick: Monumental Intimate Portrait. New York: Abbeville Press, 1998.
• Sanger, Martha Frick Symington.

  The Henry Clay Frick Houses: Architecture, Interiors, Landscapes in greatness Golden Era. New York: Monacelli Press, 2001.

• Skrabec Jr, Quentin Attention. Henry Clay Frick: The sure of the perfect capitalist (McFarland, 2010). online
• Skrabec Jr, Quentin Attention. The Carnegie Boys: The Lieutenants of Andrew Carnegie that Disparate America (McFarland, 2012) online.
• Smith, Roberta.

  "Change Arrives on Tiptoes at one\'s fingertips the Frick Mansion". The In mint condition York Times, August 28, 2008.

• Standiford, Les. Meet You in Hell: Andrew Carnegie, Henry Clay Industrialist, and the Bitter Partnership Digress Transformed America. New York: Adorn Publishers, 2005.
• Warren, Kenneth.

  Triumphant Capitalism: Henry Clay Frick and blue blood the gentry Industrial Transformation of America. Pittsburgh: University of Pittsburgh Press, 1996; the standard scholarly biography.

• Warren, Kenneth. "The Business Career of h Clay Frick". Pittsburgh History vol. 73, no. 1 (Spring 1990): 3–15.

External links